Stbam-ehgikte



1. L. EDWARDS. STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED lAN. I8. 1918- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1,304,864. Patented May 27, 1919.

INVENTOR.

' "HTORNEY.

1. L. EDWARDS.

STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1a. 1918.

Patented May 27, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' INVENTOR. JAMES L. [aw/mos.

ATTORNEY.-

UNITED snares raven snip JAMES L. EIDlVAItDS, 01? DALLAS, TEXAS.

STEAM-EN GENE.

i To all whom it mag concern: Be it knwn that 1, James L. Enwauns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State .of Texas, have invented certain new and usefull'mprovements 1n Steam-Engines, of

.Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in steam engines.

The main features of the invention are the production of an engine in which back pressure is substantially eliminated and a speed of from three hundred to 81X hundred revolutions may be, had and also one in which no eccentrics or stalling boxes are derstood reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is illustrated, and wherein,

Figure]. is a longitudinal sectional View of an engine constructed, in accordance with this invention,

Fi 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, v

Fig. 4: is an en elevation showing the governo rcontrol for the stearn valve,

f Fig. 5 1s a side elevation or the same, Fig. 6 is an end elevation showing the valve 9 crating means,

Fig. is a detail of the steam valve, 1 Fig. 8'is a cross section of the same, vFig. 9 is a detail o1 the exhaust valve,

Fig. 10 is a detail of the same and, Fig. 11 is a diagrammati'cal view showing the relation of the cranks of the crank shaft;

In the drawin the numeral 1 designates an engine block in which three upright cylinders 2,3 and e respectively areformed and covered by a cylinder head 5 which covers 'the entire block. A. lon itudinal steam chamber 6 names in the block along one side or the cylinders while the ex- Specification of Letters Patent.

haust chamber 7 is formed along the other side of said cylinders as shown. The chamber 6 has communicationwith eachcylinder through an individual port 8 and each cylinder communicates with the exhaust chamber through individual ports 9 and 10 respectively. The ports 8 and 10 are located Patented May 27, 1919..

Application filed January 18, 1918. Serial No. 212,42E.

at the bottom of the cylinders while the ports 9 are located near the top of each cylinder.

Communication between the chamber 6 tion of the rotation of the valve, said ports being closed by the surface of the valve during the other portion of the rotation.

I have shown an engine having three cylinders and a valve having three recesses each separated by suitable packing rings 13 and disposed on thirds with relation to the rotation whereby the port 8 of each cylinder will be opened for communication with the steam chamber once during each rotation of the valve and whereby a port will be opened at each third of a revolution. The steam valve is provided with an oscillating segmental paclret 1& which may be adjusted so as to close aportion of the ports 8 and thus control the volume of steam admitted tothe cylinders. 0n the head standards 15 are mounted transversely and support a crank shaft 16 projecting beyond the block 1 and carrying a momentum wheel 17 'on one end and abeveled gear 18 on the 'othr end. ()n the crank shaft between the wheel ll and theadjacent standard 15 an ordinary cen trifngal governor 18 is mounted and connected with a bell crank lever l9 pivoted on a support 20 mounted on the block. An arm suit that the arm 21 is swung upward as indicated in Fig. 4 and the jacket 4: rocked to reduce the area of the ports 8 and thus cut down the volume of steam.

Pistons 2, 3 and 4 are disposed in the cylinders 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Each piston has a piston rod 25 extending up through the head 5. The crank shaft 16 has cranks 26 disposed" at equal distance and relatively on thirds of a circle as indicated in Fig. 11. Each crank has connection with a piston rod that steam enough passes above the piston and therefore no stuffing boxes are required for the piston rods.

The passage of exhaust steam through the ports 10 is controlled by a rotary exhaust valve 28 having recesses 29 set on thirds and positioned to register with said port-s. The ports 9 are always in communication with the exhaust chamber 7 so that no pressure can be accumulated above the pistons on their upward strokes and any steam which does not readily escape through the ports 10 may pass out through the ports 9. For operating the valves a vertical shaft 30 is mounted on the end of the block 1 and car ries a pinion 31 meshing with the gear 18 and at its lower end is provided with a pinion 32 positioned to mesh with either of a pair of beveled gears 33 slidably confined on a transverse shaft 34 and adjustable by means of a lever 35. The gears 33 are spaced so that only one can mesh with the pinion 3 at a time, and thus when the shaft 34 is revolving in one direction it may be reversed by shifting the said gears. The shaft 34 carries beveled pinions 36 at each end. One of these pinions' engages with a beveled gear 37 mounted on the trunnion 38 of the steam valve 11 while the other meshes with a beveled gear 39 fixed on the trunnion 40 of the exhaust valve 28. The gears are so proportioned and related as to cause the valves to complete one rotation during each rotation of the crank shaft. By this means the eccentrics are eliminated.

In starting the engine live steam is admitted to one cylinder and when the steam is cut off and begins to expand live steam is admitted to another cylinder and the exhaust of the other is opened. Durin each complete rotation of the crank sha live steam is admitted during each successive third of a revolution to a different cylinder and from this it will be seen that the engine is constantly receiving live steam and is constantly utilizing the expansive force and that two cyl nders are'always active. Refer-ring to rig. i it will be seen that the piston 2 is just starting on its upward stroke and piston 3 is completing its upward stroke while piston 4 is on its downward stroke. Live steam is being admitted by a link 27. It will be seen to cylinder 2 but is out on from the other cylinders.- The piston 3 is being driven upward by the expansive force of the steam and the piston 4" is moving down and the cylinder exhausting, the cylinders 2 and 3 being closed and the exhaust port 10 of the cylinder 4 being open. When the piston 4' reaches the end of its down stroke the valves will be shifted so as to close the port 10 of cylinder 4 and open the port 10 of cylinder 3 while the steam valve will be adjusted to out off the supply of live steam to cylinder 2 and open the port 8 of cylinder 4, whereby piston 2 will be impelled by the expansion of the steam in its cylinder and live steam will be admitted to cylinder 4 it is obvious that two cvlinders will always be active and the engine can not stop on a so-called dead center.

The foregoing description and illustration clearly express the invention, but it is v to be understood that said illustration is merely an exemplification and the invention may be carried out in various other ways.

What I claim is:

1. In a steam engine, the combination of an engine block having vertical cylinders and a live steam chamber on one side of the cylinders and an exhaust chamber on the other side, each cylinder having a live steam port at its bottom communicating with the live steam chamber, and also an exhaust port at its bottom and another exhaust port near its top both of which communicate with the exhaust steam chamber, a cylinder head mounted on the block, pistons mounted in the cylinders and having rods extending through the head, a crank shaft supported above the headand having ofl'set cranks connected with the piston rods of the pis tons, a rotary {steam valve interposed between the live steam chamber and the live steam ports, a jacket movable relatively of the steam valve for varying the area of the live steam ports, a rotary exhaust valve in torposed between the exhaust steam chamber and the lower exhaust ports, a gearing connectingthe crank shaft with the rotary valves, whereby said valves and crank shaft each complete a revolution in unison, and a governor mounted on the crankshaft and connected with the jacket for operating the same.

2. In a steam engine, the combination with an engine block having vertical cylind'ers and a live steam chamber on one side of the cylinders and an exhaust chamber on the other side of said cylinders, the cylinders having ports communicating with the chambers, a rotary exhaust valve controlling the passage of steam through the exhaust ports, a rotary steam valve. a rocking jacket controlling the passage of steam from the exhaust ports 10 of i by the crank shaft, a reverseelement driven by the prime mover and constructed to be shifted to reverse motion, and driving 0011- 10 nections between the reversing element and the valves. t

r In testimony whereof I ainx my signature;

JAMES L. EDWARDS,

the steam; Valve through the, inlet ports of the cylinders. a crank shaft mounted above the evlinders, and pistons connected with and operating thec'rzuik shaft, of a governor 5 operated by the crank shaft mid having eonnertion with the Steam nh'e jacket fur rocking the same, at piimemover operated 

